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Many babies love to be swaddled, especially while they are sleeping. Swaddling calms them, perhaps by reminding them of the cramped space in the womb, where they spent nine months. Eventually, though, you’ll have to break the swaddling habit and help your baby learn to sleep without it. After a few months, babies need freedom of movement to explore the world around them. Keeping them in cozy cocoons can interfere with that exploration.

Consider safety. In general, swaddling young babies is completely safe. However, many babies start to roll over by about three to four months of age, and at this stage, they cannot control their heads very well. Keep in mind that an older swaddled baby may be at risk of falling or of rolling over onto his or her stomach and winding up face-down on a bed or other surface, posing a suffocation risk.

Wait for the startle reflex to disappear. Babies are born with what’s known as the “Moro reflex” or “startle reflex” – when startled (and sometimes for no reason in particular), they fling their arms out sideways. Newborns tend to startle easily and flap their arms and legs a lot; swaddling helps them stay calm and still enough to sleep. For best results, wait until the Moro reflex disappears before you wean your baby from swaddling -- unless your baby has started rolling and safety becomes a concern earlier.

Plan the transition. Once you believe your baby is ready, think about how you will make the transition? Will you start at naptime or nighttime? When will you begin? How will you handle the difficulties that arise?

Consider setting aside a weekend or another convenient time to experiment with unswaddling your baby. Know that you may have to sacrifice some of your baby's normal sleep time to do this. If your partner can help, that's preferable -- you can take turns observing your baby's preferences and trying to soothe your baby without swaddling.

Stick to your routines. Plan to keep as many routines as possible in place when you wean your baby from swaddling. If you keep the same sleep routines (dim lights, bath, lullaby, whatever you typically do) in place, your baby will be more likely to accept sleeping unswaddled.

Know that the "cold turkey" method probably won't work well. In general, unwrapping your baby suddenly and completely doesn't work well; your baby may feel uncomfortable and struggle to sleep. If you have a very active baby who has been wriggling out of the swaddle independently, you can try this method. Otherwise, a more gradual approach is probably best.

If you do choose to unswaddle your baby "cold turkey," try it at nap time first. That way, if it doesn't work out, you won't sacrifice much sleep.

Try unswaddling your baby’s legs. Many babies accept unswaddled sleeping more readily if you start gradually. Try leaving his or her hands and armed swaddled as usual, but unwrap the legs. You can use special swaddling products for this purpose, or you can improvise with blankets, cloth diapers, and the like.

Consider starting with the hands. Alternatively, you can start by unswaddling your baby’s hands and arms, while leaving the legs wrapped as usual. For best results, leave just one hand free at first, then move on to both hands.

Pay attention to your baby’s signals. If your baby struggles to sleep, wakes frequently, or seems upset, do not move forward. Wait until he or she can accept the first stage (an unwrapped arm or unwrapped legs) before unswaddling further.

Set time intervals. If your baby really loves swaddling, it might help to start by unswaddling only during naptime or only for the first few hours of nighttime sleep (say, until he or she wakes to breastfeed). Gradually increase the time spent unswaddled.

Help your unswaddled baby calm down. If your baby is struggling to fall asleep without being swaddled, try gently holding his or her hands against the chest. This may soothe your baby and let him or her fall asleep.

Experiment with baby sleeping bags. There are a number of products on the market, shaped like sleeping bags, to help babies stay warm and calm without tight swaddling. If your baby seems comfortable in one of these, use it! You can gradually unclip the sleeping bag to ease your baby into the feeling of freedom.

In addition to the bags, there are also swaddling straps available that keep older babies comfortably swaddled. If your baby is struggling to sleep without his or her usual swaddling, you could consider using one of these products temporarily.

Be persistent. Soothe your baby as needed, but as soon as he or she is calm, put your baby back in the crib to go back to sleep. Every baby is different, and yours may take some time to accept these new sleeping arrangements.

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Community Q&A

We use swaddling, pacifiers, and waking up to nurse still 2 times a night at 6 months. Which would you break first?

Community Answer

Swaddling should not be necessary at 6 months. Swaddling is great for newborns because it mimics confinement within the womb. At 6 months, babies are used to more room and should be happier to stretch out. Twice a night feedings might be difficult to break during the first year, especially if breastfeeding. The pacifier can become an issue as teeth come in, but in general when breaking a child of their pacifier it becomes a personal preference (if it bothers you). Finding an alternative (like a teether as opposed to a pacifier) for an orally fixated child may bridge that gap, but others prefer to go cold turkey or begin phasing them out (allowing only set times for use in calming). So, break the swaddling first, then work on the others slowly.

My baby is 3 weeks old and struggling to get out of the swaddle. She sleeps fine without it as long as she is held, but when we put her down she wakes herself. Is it too early to practice not swaddling?

Ashlyn Winn

Community Answer

At 3 weeks it is okay to swaddle. By about 3 months, try to ween the baby off swaddling, so that she has an easier transition. Maybe try loosening it a bit and see what happens - she may just not want to be wrapped so tightly.

Remember that babies are individuals – they tend to follow their own patterns, and they have different needs. Some babies love sleeping unswaddled; others resist sleeping that way for a long time. Understand that there is no one-size-fits-all pattern.

About This Article

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 10 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. Together, they cited 7 references. This article has been viewed 104,249 times.

While babies love to be swaddled, especially when they’re sleeping, once they’re a few months old you’ll want to break this habit so they can move freely and start to explore their world. Once your baby is trying to roll over, which is typically around 3 to 4 months old, transition away from swaddling by unswaddling their legs or arms at nap or nighttime. As your baby gets used to having its arms or legs out, gradually increase the amount of time that they’re unswaddled. If your baby struggles to fall asleep unswaddled, try gently holding their hands against their chest or experiment with baby sleeping bags. You can also soothe your baby by singing a lullaby, playing calming music, or walking around with your baby in a sling or wrap. To learn how to help your baby sleep all night without being swaddled, keep reading!